Ty Gibbs channeled his Kyle Busch swagger at Road America. (Photo: Maddie Skidan | The Podium Finish)
As Ty Gibbs’ stock rises in NASCAR competition, his confidence and talents equally elevate to new levels, even on the 4.048 mile, 14-turn Road America road course in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Perhaps the battle between Gibbs and Kyle Larson, the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion, was meant to be in Saturday’s Henry 180. After all, it was a spirited showdown between a potential Cup talent versus one of the most versatile racers in motorsports.
The road to a Gibbs and Larson showdown wasn’t necessarily set in stone, even with five caution periods totaling 12 of the race’s 48 laps. All things considered, and for all intents and purposes, it looked like a race that belonged to Larson and the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevy Camaro team.
For a while, Larson looked like he had the race under control. (Photo: Mike Moore | The Podium Finish)
Once the race was underway, Larson led the opening 10 laps before Gibbs and AJ Allmendinger, two of the principals battling for the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship, led the next five laps.
Larson wasted little time with regaining the advantage, retaking the lead on lap 16, winning the race’s first two stages.
Gibbs, who finished second in stage 1, avoided some of the carnage in stage 3 that marred an otherwise competitive race. As Larson and Gibbs worked their way up the scoring ladder, a lap 26, turn 4 crash ensued with Noah Gragson and Sage Karam tangling, collecting Brett Moffitt, Bayley Currey, Andy Lally, Landon Cassill, Daniel Hemric, John Hunter Nemechek, Myatt Snider, Josh Bilicki, Jeremy Clements, and Brandon Brown.
Notably, Brown, who was able to exit his wrecked car under his own power, took some time to gather himself after the grinding crash. That said, Alpha Prime Racing team owner, Tommy Joe Martins, expressed his displeasure about the lap 26 incident.
Absolutely on purpose. @EarnhardtKelley @DaleJr I’m sure you’re embarrassed to even be associated with that. Hard racing and bumping a guy back I get but that kind of stuff can hurt someone. It’s too much.
— Tommy Joe Martins (@TommyJoeMartins) July 2, 2022
Following Chris Dyson’s turn 12 incident on lap 36, it appeared to be Larson’s race to lose, scooting past Ryan Sieg for the lead and with considerable daylight between himself and Gibbs. However, Cole Custer brought out the race’s final caution on lap 45, crashing in turn 5 and resulting in a critical Overtime restart.
As the field raced their way during the penultimate lap, Larson had a determined Gibbs dogging him at any corner for a possible slip up in a braking zone. Resorting to every bit of real estate of the track for some handy defensive driving, Gibbs was ready to pounce on the No. 17 car.
On the final lap, Larson led the way in the first few corners before Gibbs capitalized with a clean, winning pass in turn 3. From there on, Larson had his experience and savvy, but Gibbs cashed in when it mattered, taking his fourth win of the Xfinity Series season.
The victory propelled Gibbs within nine points of leader, Allmendinger, who wound up placing sixth. Needless to say, the 19-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina native was ecstatic.
Gibbs made it a victory he’ll recall for the rest of his life. (Photo: Mike Moore | The Podium Finish)
“I had a fun time racing with Kyle (Larson), Gibbs said. I thought it was going to get a little rough there, but he’s such a great competitor and a great person. We played golf the other day – I want to tell him thanks for the golf lessons. I still suck. This is awesome. I can’t believe it. It’s wonderful.”
Certainly, the victory was sweeter for Gibbs after some on track tangles earlier in the season. Aggressive and feisty, Gibbs showcased some maturity and class, even in an intense moment such as battling the defending Cup champion.
Maybe Gibbs observed a bit of Aristotle’s Golden Mean and virtue ethics, because on this day, he had his cleanest race yet in NASCAR.
Gibbs’ victory closed the gap to nine markers from points leader AJ Allmendinger. (Photo: Maddie Skidan | The Podium Finish)
“I felt like we were a little bit faster in the first half of the track,” he observed. “The last two sectors, I felt like we were not as fast. I feel like right now I need to earn respect back and that’s what I’m doing.
“I feel like I’ve got my lessons – just got to learn and not make mistakes. I made plenty off them today, I could have lost the race on that one restart, so thankful to get this one back, but I still have to work on the restarts – the first initial and the next-to-last.”
Despite coming up short of the win, Larson expressed respect for Gibbs, particularly with their last lap showdown.
“He was able to pass me without laying a bumper on me at all,” Larson said. “When he passed me clean, I felt like I should not use him up, like we’ve seen others do when they get passed for the lead late. He ran me clean, and I was going to run him clean. It just didn’t work out for me.”
While Larson will have to wait until the Xfinity race at Watkins Glen International on Saturday, Aug. 20, Gibbs and the Xfinity Series drivers and teams will take on the refit Atlanta Motor Speedway for next Saturday’s Alsco Uniforms 250 (5 p.m. ET on USA).
Stage 1 Top 10 Finishers
Larson-Gibbs-Custer-Herbst-Jones/Gragson-Mayer-Clements-Allmendinger-Karam
Stage 2 Top 10 Finishers
Larson-Creed-Custer-Nemechek-Allgaier/Smith-Herbst-Clements-Gragson-Labbe
Henry 180 Top 10 Finishers
Gibbs-Larson-Berry-Hill-Jones/Allmendinger-Herbst-Gragson-Clements-Sieg
